UAE’s Sadhwani brothers have a passion for curry and cricket

Laxman and Shanker run the Royal Rajasthan, just off Hamdan Street, and hope some of their cricketing heros will visit while they’re in Abu Dhabi for the IPL competition.

Laxman Sadhwani, of the Royal Rajasthan restaurant in Abu Dhabi, is hoping that the players of his favourite team, the Rajasthan Royals, will try his Rajasthani food while they are in town for the IPLShow more

ABU DHABI // Laxman Sadhwani’s passion for his hometown cricket team, the Rajasthan Royals, saw him name his Abu Dhabi-restaurant in honour of the side.

The Royal Rajasthan, just off Hamdan Street, opened four years ago and Mr Sadhwani hopes some of his cricketing heros will visit while they’re in Abu Dhabi for the IPL competition.

“In India we never miss a chance to watch the IPL and now we are very happy it is coming to Abu Dhabi, especially for Rajasthani people,” said Mr Sadhwani, 48.

“People always ask if the restaurant is part of the team, it is a very famous name. People love to come here, and if you Google Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi, our restaurant comes up first.”

Mr Sadhwani and his staff pride themselves on serving traditional Rajasthani dishes.

The mix of cricket and curry has proved to be popular with locals, with more than 1,000 customers a week eating at the 200 capacity venue.

“We were inspired from the Rajasthan Royals in India, but we couldn’t have that name registered, so we chose the Royal Rajasthan. We even have a similar logo to the team,” he said.

“We know of every player in the team and I hope that they will visit the restaurant when they are playing here in Abu Dhabi. We would throw them a very big party. I’m sure they would be happy to have a taste of Rajasthani food over here.”

Mr Sadhwani arrived in the UAE in 1988 following his older brother Shanker, who had already spent over a decade in Abu Dhabi.

He found success in Abu Dhabi and, as director of Al Ravi Group, operates three other businesses – Kish Mart Trading, Al Ravi Trading and Honey Electro-Mechanical and Contracting.

Shanker Sadhwani, 59, said cricket has been a passion for him and his brother since childhood.

“I last saw the Royals play in India two years ago and we will definitely be going to all their games here in the UAE.

“Definitely we will be going to see them play. I used to play a lot of cricket. Cricket is in our blood, and of course I support Royal Rajasthan, I was born there and will always support them,” said the older brother.

“We have many people from Rajasthan here and we will be showing the cricket on TV here in the restaurant.

“People keep asking what players are going to come to the restaurant. We are very excited about this team and we hope they come to see us.”

A widescreen TV will be installed on the upper floor of the restaurant where customers will be able to watch the games – something that is done every time the IPL season begins.

“These games will be small so you cannot really tell who will win. We couldn’t say who will win, but of course we want Rajasthan to win. I don’t think any team has a better chance,” Shanker Sadhwani said.

The Royals will first play Sunrisers Hyderabad at 6.30pm on Friday in Abu Dhabi.

The Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural IPL season but have since failed to recreate that initial success having qualified to the playoff stage only once in the last six years.

Some notable owners of the Rajasthan Royals include Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, her husband, Dubai-based businessman Raj Kundra and heir to News Corp, Lachlan Murdoch.